iA)6l/'-5 



E 263 
.W5 V5 
Copy 1 



Relations between Bermuda and the American Colonies 
. DURING the Revolutionary War. By A. E. Verrill. 

In this brief account the following subjects will be discussed : 

1. Commercial and social relations before the war ; dependence of 
Bermuda on the Colonies for foodstuffs, clothing, etc. 

2. Seizure of the Bermuda gunpowder in 1775. 
:^. Bermuda privateers. 

4. Plans for tlie capture of Bei'muda by the Americans and 
French. 

5. Biographical Sketches. 

In order to appreciate the attitude and conduct of the inhabitants 
of the Bermudas during the Revolutionary war, it is necessary to 
consider the peculiar conditions under which they had long live,d 
and their intimate relations with, and dependence upon, the Amen 
can Colonies. i 

1. Commercial and social relations. 

After the decline and final cessation of tobacco cultivation,* about 
1700, the inhabitants of Bermuda became very much impoverished, 
for they had few products to export and were unable to raise suffi- 
cient foodstuffs to support themselves. This condition continued 
down to and after the Revolutionaiy war. 

During that period they were largely dependent upon their traffic 
with the American Colonies for their food and clothing. Cessation 
of that traffic meant destitution, if not famine, for them. The 
islands were over-populatedf and they had a superabundance of 
negro slaves, without adequate employment for them. Agriculture 
was pursued on a small scale and in the most primitive manner. 

The amount of arable land suitable for cereals was small. Cu...x- 
vation of the soil by the whites was considered degrading. The 
slaves were very ignorant and without proper tools, plows and har- 
rows being then unknown there.J Under such circumstances many 
of the more enterprising men emigrated to America and went into com.- 

*See The Bermuda Islands, A. E. Verrill, vol. i, pp. 555-5G0. 

f The population in 1787 was estimated at 10,381, of whom 4,919 were colored. 
See The Bermuda Islands, vol. i, pp. 561^565, 570. 

X Plows, yokes, and various other agricultural implements were first intro- 
duced by Governor Reid, 1839-40. See Thq Bermuda Islands, i, pp. 557, 895. 

Trans. Conn. Acad. Vol. XIII. 4 June, 1907. 



554 A. E. Verrill — Melations between Bermuda and the [48 

merce. Some undertook the building of vessels, the Bermuda cedar 
being- admirably adapted for that use ; others erected salt works at 
Turks Island, in the Bahamas,* and went there daring the winter 
season to manufacture salt, most of which they took to the American 
Colonies to exchange for food and clothing, for salt was their princi- 
pal export. Thus it came about that Bermudian vessels, for more 
than sixty years, had monopolized a large part of the West Indian and 
coastwise commerce of the American Colonies. Many native Ber- 
mudians, from the best families, had gone to America for their educa- 
tion, and many went into business or the learned professions there. 
These various intimate business relations and family ties, as well as 
their own cherished love of liberty, naturally led to friendliness and 
sympathy with the Americans during the war. Besides, they had 
themselves suffered greatly, in previous years, by oppressive English 
laws. The Bermudians, however, like the Americans, were divided 
into t^vo i^arties. Those who were opposed to the British Govern- 
ment, or at least to its treatment of the Colonies, seem to have been 
likrgely in the majority. They were repeatedly denounced b}^ the 
(governors as rebels and traitors. On the other hand, even''the mem- 
-''bers of the Assembly did not hesitate to openly oppose and criticise 
Governor Bruere in no measured terms, while he in turn denounced 
them and other local officials as traitors. This mutual enmity con- 
tinued from 17'75 to 1782, under three successive governors. It cul- 
minated in September, 1780, when the Governor dissolved the legis- 
lative Assembly for rebellious conduct. 

It is certain that very many of the inhabitants of Bermuda were 
willing and ready to aid the Americans in every way they safely 
qould. It is also a matter of official record that the Continental 
Congress granted very unusual and highly important favors to the 
Bermudians, by sending them large amounts of provisions ; allow- 
them free importation of salt ; permitting them to enter the 
harbors ; and exempting their vessels from capture by American 
privateers. Such privileges were not granted to other English 
colonies. If the American Colonies could have maintained a suita- 
ble fleet to hold the islands, their capture would have been easy, and 
no doubt welcomed by the majority of the people. 

The first act of the Colonies that affected Bermuda was the reso- 
lution adopted Friday, the 30tt of September, 1774 :f "Resolved, 

* The Bermudians erected salt worjcs there as early as 1678. See The Ber- 
muda Islands, i, p. 520. 

f Secret Journals of the Cont^L^intal Congi'ess, vol. i, p. 21 (Philad. ed, 
1800). 




49] American Colonies during the Reiwlutionary War. 555 

That from and after the 10th of September, 1*775, the exjjortation of 
all merchandize and every commodity whatsoever, to Great Britain, 
Ireland, and the West Indies, ought to cease, unless the grievances of 
America are redressed before that time." 

In a resolution adopted Aug. 1, 1775, defining the islands and 
colonies with which commerce was prohibited, the "Summer Islands," 
or Bermudas, were specifically mentioned.* 

Before the resolution went into effect, the Bermudians had pre- 
sented more than one petition stating their lack of provisions and 
begging for relief. At the session July 11, 1775, an "Address from 
the inhabitants of Bermuda " was presented. f This document is 
not preserved, but was probably one of those referred to at the 
session of Nov. 22, 1775. 

On July 17, 1775, the following was recorded :| "The address 
from the Deputies of the several parishes of the islands of Bermuda 
being again read, ordered : That the President return them an 
answer, acknowledging the receipt of the address and informing them 
that it will be considered, and desiring them to send an account of 
the provisions imported for some years past for the use of the 
inhabitants of that island ; and also enclose therein a copy of a 
resolve entered into on Saturday last, respecting the importation of 
gunpowder, etc." 

This reference is to a resolution introduced by Benjamin Frank- 
lin, and passed July 15, 1775,§ in which it was provided that anj'- 
vessel importing gunpowder, saltpeter, sulphur, or firearms, should 
be allowed to export products of any kind, of equal value, thus 
assuring a profit at each end of the voyage. This was evidentl}'- a 
great inducement to the people of Bermuda to engage in that kind 
of traffic, to obtain the foodstuffs and clothing that they so badly 
needed. 

After the seizure of the gunpowder at Bermuda, in August, -aiidr- 
evidently, as will be shown later, as a reward for their aid* in that 
affair, the attitude of Congress suddenly changed. 

Under date of Wednesday, Nov. 22, 1775, the following entry 
occurs : || " The committee of the whole, to whom are referred the 
several petitions from the islands of Bermuda, representing the dis- 

* Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. ii, p. 289, Washington ed., 1905. 
f Journal Continental Congress, i, p. 150. 

I Secret Journ. of The Continental Congress, vol. i, p. 21, ed. of 1800. 
§ Joiirnal Continental Congress, ii, p. 184, ed. 1905. 

II Journal of Continental Congress, i, p. 236, 237, Boston ed., 1831. 



556 A. E. Verrill — Relations between Bermuda and the [50 

tress to which they were exposed, by the non-export agreement, and 
praying to be relieved in such manner as the Congress may deem 
consistent with the safety of America, report that they have con- 
sidered the same, and thereupon came to the following resolutions : 
That the inhabitants of the Islands of Bermuda appear friendly to 
the cause of America and ought to be supplied with such and so 
great of the products of these colonies, as may be necessary for 
their subsistence and home consumption ; that in the opinion of this 
committee they will annually require for the purposes aforesaid : 

72000 bushels of Indian corn, 
2000 barrels of bread or flour, 
1000 barrels of beef or pork, 
2100 bushels of peas or beans, and 
300 tierces of rice, 

and that they be permitted to export the same yearly. That the 
said inhabitants ought to pay for the above annual allowance in salt, 
but it is not the design of this resolution to exclude them from the 
jjrivilege of receiving American goods to any amount in exchange 
for arms, ammunition, saltpeter, sulphur, and field pieces, agreeably 
to a resolution passed the 15th of Jul}^ last. That to enable each 
of the colonies, as can conveniently furnish the islands of Bermuda 
with the above mentioned allowance, to divide whatever advantages 
may result therefrom, in proportion to their respective shares of the 
general expense, it is further the opinion of the committee that the 
colony of South Carolina supply them with 300 tiei'ces of rice ; 
that the colony of North Carolina supply them with 16000 bushels 
of Indian corn, and 468 bushels of peas or beans ; Virginia Avith 
36000 bush, of Indian corn, and 10500 bush, of peas or beans ; 
Marjdand with 20000 bush, of corn and 552 bush, peas or beans, 
s^ylvania with 1200 barrels of flour or bread, and 600 barrels 
of beef or pork ; New York with 800 barrels of flour or bread and 
400 barrels of beef or pork. 

Also to inform the inhabitants of Bermuda that Congress would 
also supply them with other necessaries, such as lumber, soap and. 
candles, whenever the quality and quantity of those articles used in 
the islands be ascertained. That Edw. Stiles be permitted, under 
the direction of the Committee of Safety of the Colony of Penn- 
sylvania, to send the brig " Sea Nymph," Sam'l Stobel master, 
with 4000 bushels of Indian corn, 300 barrels of flour, 100 barrels 
of bread, 20 barrels of pork, 8 barrels of beef, 30 boxes of soap, 



/ 



51] American Colonies during the Revolutionwy War. 55*7 

and 15 barrels of apples, to Bermuda for the immediate supply of 
the inhabitants, and that the said cargo be considered as a part of 
the annual allowance aforesaid, for the year ensuing." 

Other cargoes of provisions are recorded as having been sent to 
Bermuda. Among them are the dates : June 5, 1116 ; May 18, 
1119 ; Aug. 30, 1880, etc. The Secret and Marine Committee, 
"charged with fitting out vessels with cargoes to Bermuda," was 
discharged Aug. 2, 1776. But an act had been previously passed, 
July 24, 1776, making an exception in favor of Bermuda vessels, and 
permitting them to enter American ports for commercial purposes. 
But as the governors of Bermuda considered all such traffic treason- 
able, it must have been carried on secretly and with considerable risk. 
Thus more or less destitution continued in Bermuda during the war, 
as the records show. The receipt of a letter or petition is mentioned 
on May 30th, 1776. It was taken up at the session of June 6th, 
when the committee reported upon it as follows : — * 

" The committee to whom was referred an extract of a letter from 
a gentleman in Bermuda,f dated 26th April, and continued to May 
1st, to a gentleman in Philadelphia, brought in their report, which 
was read, and the same being taken into consideration : Resolved, 
That the Secret Committee be instructed to fit out two fast sailing 
vessels and load them with provisions, to be sent immediately to 
supply the inhabitants of the islands of Bermuda, and that the com- 
mittee of secret correspondence be directed to take such means as 
they may think proper, by these vessels, to discover the state of those 
islands and the disposition of the inhabitants ; and that the marine 
committee be instructed to take such measures as they may think 
IH'oper, for purchasing, manning, arming, and fitting at the said 
islands, of two sloops of war for the service of the United Colonies." 

No report of the results of this expedition has been found on the 
records. ^__ 

In 1878-9 the islands were allowed to send from each parish one. 
licensed vessel to Savannah, New York, or other English ports,' to 
obtain provisions ; but they had very little to offer in exchange. 

* Secret Journ. Continental Congress, i, pp. 45, 46, 47 (ed. 1800). 

f The gentleman here referred to was, without much doubt, Mr. Silas Deane, 
at that time in Bermuda, where he had stopped to purchase a " fasc sailing 
vessel'' while on hisway to France, as instructed by Congress. See below, p. 60, 
for an extract from one of his letters, probably the same one here referred to. 



558 A. E. Verrill — Relations hetioeen Bermuda and the [52 



II. Seizure of the Gunpowder in 1115. 

That the American army was at first in desperate need of gunpow- 
der and other munitions of war, is well known. General Washington, 
from the very first, used the most strenuous efforts to increase the sup- 
l^ly and economize what he had. The manufacture of saltpeter and 
the gathering of sulphur were encouraged by special acts of Congress 
in the summer of 1775. It is well known that in August, 1775, the 
gunpowder stored in a public powder magazine in Bermuda was 
secretly seized by an American expedition and brought to the Colonies 
to supply the armies in the field, who were then sorely in need of it. 
The affair caused great excitement in Bermuda at the time, but none 
of the inhabitants were proved guilty of aiding in the enterprise, 
although the governor and other officials made great efforts to do so. 
The transaction has to this day remained very much of a mystery. 
The lives of those engaged in it were at stake, both in this country and 
Bermuda, for the result of the impending war was then very uncer- 
tain. Varions more or less romantic and fictitious incidents have 
been connected with the affair in Bermuda, but they seem to rest on 
no basis whatever. The powder was certainlj' taken away in the 
night, with no apparent disturbance. At that time Bermuda was 
veiy poorly fortified and weakly garrisoned. It is said in Bermuda 
that the barrels of powder were rolled through the governor's garden. 
Even now, though several have written on the subject, the amount 
of gunpowder taken, its destination, the persons concerned, and the 
name of the vessel or vessels that took it away are not positively 
known. No direct mention of the act is found, to m^^ knowledge, 
in any American official record. 

In the following pages I have reviewed all the official American 
records known to me that have been supposed to refer to the affair, 
and haVe collected all the other evidence available. Very likely 
ca 'ef ul researches in the official records of that period in Bermuda 
and London might bring out some additional evidence, but tlie secrets 
of the persons concerned seem to have been well kept. 

As many of the warlike undertakings of the Continental Congress 
were at that time delegated to the " Secret Committee of Marine 
and Commerce," very little is to be learned from the official records 
in regard to this transaction. It was probably undertaken, like the 
later expedition of Capt. Whipple, in accordance with the urgent 
desire of General Washington, who, in his letters, refers to a Mr. 



53] American Colonies during the Revolutionary War. 559 

Harris, as one of the persons who had told him of the powder 
there. 

The only official record that has been supposed to refer to it, and 
that very doubtfully, is in the Pennsylvania Committee of Safety 
minutes, Sept. 20, 1775,* pp. 340, 341, where it is stated that 1800 
pounds of powder had been imported from Bermuda by Capt. Ord 
in " The Lucy"; of this, 700 lbs. were noted as damaged and " not 
fit to use." Some writers have stated that 100 barrels of powder 
and many other stores were taken from the Bermuda magazine. 
But there is no official record of this. A few days after the expe- 
dition under Captain Whipple had sailed (Sept. 12), it was pub- 
licly announced, it was said, perhaps in the newspapers, that 100 
barrels of gunpowder had arrived from Bermuda. I have not been 
able to consult the newspapers of that date. Perhaps " The Phila- 
delphia Packet," a semi-official organ, Avas the authority referred to. 

The official records give Aug. 6, 1775, as the date when the 
powder imported in the " Lucy " was received in Philadelphia. 
But Mr. DeLancey Clevelandf states that the powder was seized 
Aug. 14, 1775. If the latter date be correct, the former record must 
refer to a previous importation by Capt. Ord. This is not unlikely, 
for Capt. Ord owned more than one vessel, and was then engaged in 
commerce. Moreover, a subsequent importation of gunpowder from 
Bermuda is on record, and there may have been various others, for 
considerable illicit traffic was continually carried on by the Bermu- 
dians, according to the charges made by their governor at that time. 
The Continental Congress had already offered special rewards for 
the importation of gunpowder and firearms. The unusual favors 
subsequently granted to the Bermudians (see especially the act of 
Nov. 22, 1775, above, p. 49), indicate that much larger contribu- 
tions than the 1800 lbs. of powder, about half of it " unfit for use," 
had been received from them. _ _ 

I am, therefore, now led to believe that the importation in the 
"Lucy" was entirely independent of the powder taken from the 
large magazine. J 

* Vol. X, pp. 277-784, Harrisburg ed., 1852. See The Bermuda Islands, i, p. 
873 (461). 

f See article " How Washington got his Powder," in New York Evening Post, 
Feb. 24, 1904 ; reprinted in the Bermuda Royal Gazette, March 29. By DeLan- 
cey Cleveland, a great-grandson of Capt. George Ord. 

X According to tradition in Bermuda powder was taken from more than one 
magazine for the Americans. 



560 A. K Verrill — lielations hetioeen Bermuda and the [54 

It seems quite probable that Captain Ord had previously been 
informed of the gunpowder in Bermuda, and of the means of secur- 
ing it, and that when he heard of the rewards offered by Congress 
for the importation of gunpowder, he hurried back to Bermuda and 
secured it. The intervening time was sufficient for that purpose. 
But whether the Americans took it from the magazine, or received 
it from friendly Bermudians, who had taken it out to them in boats, 
is uncertain. In Bermuda the latter view seems to have been held. 
The voyage from Bermuda in the sailing vessels of that period 
usually took at least a week, and usually a longer time in summer. 
So that if the seizure took place on Aug. 14th, the powder could not 
have reached Philadelphia before the 22d to 28th, and probably 
rather later than that, perhaps a week or more later. Possibly it 
may have been taken directly to New York, Providence, or some 
other port nearer to Washington's army than Philadelphia. But it 
is certain that Washington had not heard of its arrival up to Sept. 
6th, when he wrote the circular letter to the Bermudians, to be taken 
there by Capt. Whipple, and probabl}^ he had not heard of it before 
Capt. Whipple sailed, Sept. 12th. This would tend to make the 
date of Aug. 14th, for the seizure, seem more probable. The powder 
that was received by the "Lucy,'' Aug. 6, must have left Bermuda 
about July 28th, or earlier. According to some traditions and pub- 
lished accounts, there were two vessels concerned in the seizure : 
one of them from South Carolina, and the other from Philadelphia. 
If so, part of the gunpowder may have been taken directly to South 
Carolnia, where it was much needed at that time. It is probable 
that, as a matter of safety, no official record was made of the arrival 
of this captured powder. Many of the warlike acts of the secret 
committees of that period were never recorded, for good and suffi- 
cient reasons, as affairs then stood. 

.,__Recenth', Miss Caroline Clifford Newton, daughter of the late 
Professor H. A. Newton, of Yale University, has called my atten- 
tion to the fact that Captain Samuel Stiles, of Georgia, has been 
reputed to have taken a part in the seizure of the gunpowder. He 
was the great-great-grandfather of Miss Newton. He was an 
adventurous ship captain, who owned his own vessels, and was 
engaged in commerce at that time. Miss Newton states that accord- 
ing to family traditions he took a prominent part in that affair, 
importing some of the powder in his own ship. He may, indeed, 
have commanded the second vessel, said, in the contemporary 
accounts, to have hailed from South Carolina, as mentioned above. 



57] American Colonies during the Recoliitionary War. 563 

It is a matter of record that he was sent to Bermuda (June, 1775), 
just before the event, and that he did not return to Virginia till 
Nov., 1776. So it would appear that he had other objects in charge 
beyond the securing of the gunpowder. I do, not find that he was 
accused of having a hand in it at that time. While in Bermuda he 
was admitted to the local bar. 

It is probable that the American sailors did the actual work of 
removing the gunpowder, and that some of the inhabitants of Ber- 
muda may have acted as guides and as pilots for the boats, in that 
night adventure. 

Shortl}^ after the Rhode Island expedition had sailed and the news 
of the arrival of the powder had been received, a second vessel was 
sent from Rhode Island to notify Capt. Whipple. Both vessels 
reached Bermuda and their people were well received by the inhabi- 
tants, who told them of the previous capture of the powder. 

It is stated that Capt. Whipple, while there, entertained on board 
his vessel five members of the Council, who assured him that " the 
people were hearty friends of the American Cause and heartily dis- 
posed to serve it." He returned Oct. 20, 1775. 

It appears, from documents, that these vessels anchored off the 
southwestern end of the islands, and that there were British war 
vessels at the other end. But the latter did not venture to attack 
the Americans. 

Capt. Whipple was also told that the Governor had notified Gen- 
eral Gates of the seizure of the powder, and that he had sent from 
Boston an armed sloop and a transport, which were then in St. 
George's harbor. 

In accordance with the promises of General Washington, the Con- 
tinental Congress, in November, soon' after the powder had been 
received, ordered a cargo of provisions sent to Bermuda to relieve 
the immediate distress of the inhabitants, and also allowed annual 
shipments ; and later permitted private firms to send cargoes there 
from several of the Colonies. (See above, p. 49.) It also allowed 
salt to be brought back in payment for provisions. Moi'eover, a 
law was passed, November, 1777, exempting Bermudian vessels from 
capture by American privateers. This exception was contained in 
all the letters of marque issued after Nov. 27, 1777. 

Inasmuch as Congress had specifically named the " Summer Islands" 
among the places with which trade was prohibited, in its act of Aug. 
1st, the arrival of a large amount of gunpowder frona thence through 



564 A. E. Verrill — delations betwee?i Benmida and the [58 

the friendly aid of the Bermudian people, is the only logical explan- 
ation of the sudden change in its attitude. 

Before Gen. Washington heard of the success of this first expe- 
dition he made an lu'gent appeal* to Gov. Cooke of Rhode Island 
to send one of the armed vessels of that colony to Bermuda. This 
plan was approved by the Governor and Committee of Rhode Island, 
and the vessel was dispatched Sept. 12, 17*75, in command of Capt. 
Abraham Whipple, who carried with him a circular letter from 
General Washington, dated Sept. 6, 1775, to the inhabitants of Ber- 
muda,! asking them to aid, so far as they safely could, in this enter- 
prise, and promising in return to use his influence with Congress to 
.secure the sending of much needed provisions, and obtain other 
favors for them. The following is an extract from General Wash- 
ington's letter : — . 

" We are informed that there is a very large magazine in your island under a 
very feeble giiard. We would not wish to involve you in an opposition in which, 
from your situation, we should be unable to siipport you ; we know not, therefore, 
to what extent to solicit your assistance, in availing ourselves of this supply; but 
if your favour and friendship to North America and its liberties have not been 
misrepresented, I persuade myself you may, consistently with your own safety, 
promote and further this scheme, so as to give it the fairest prospect of success. 
Be assured that in this case the whole power and exertion of my influence will be 
made with the honorable Continental Congress, that your island may not only 
be supplied with provisions, but experience every other mark of affection and 
friendship which the grateful citizens of a free country can bestow on its 
brethren and benefactors." 

Ill, Bermuda Privateers. 

Notwithstanding the friendly relations, there Avere in Bermuda 
plenty of people who held the same views as the loj^alists in America. 
Some fitted out privateers to prey upon American commerce and 
_ein-ich themselves, as the Governor, George J. Bruere, advised. A 
privateer's commission was given, Jan. 10, 1778, to Capt. Bridger 
Goodrich, in command of the "Hammond " of 1.00 tons, 8 guns, and 
S^O men, to " cruise against the American colonies." It was armed 

* In his letter, dated " Camp at Cambridge, 4 Aug., 1775," General Wash- 
ington mentioned the great and pressing need of gunpowder for the army and 
the very precarious supply. He also said: "No quantity, however small, is 
bepeath notice, and, should any arrive, I beg it may be forwarded as soon as 
possible. " 

•)- This letter has been published in full in several books. See J. Sparks, 
"Writings of George Washington," iii, p. 77. Also Stark's Bermuda Guide, 
pp. 3.'5-37, 1898. 



59] American Colonies durinfi the Revolutionary War. 565 

by Robt. Shelden and Wm. Goodrich, merchants of Bermuda, Sev- 
eral other privateers were fitted out there and commissioned by Gov. 
George James Bruere,* in 1778 to 1780, "to cruise against the French, 
Spanish, and Americans." Gov. George Bruere. in one of his earliest 
addresses, Nov. 23, 1780, also referred to their great success and 
urged the fitting out of more. Among those recorded were the 
" Miraculous Pitcher,"' Capt. H. Middleton ; sloop " Whalebone," 
Capt. John Brice ; the "Spitfire"; the "Jolly Bacchus." Others 
might be found recorded, very likely, by a more thorough search of 
the Bermuda records. 

In an address by Gov. George Bruere, June 19, 1781, he said that 
"a noble ship" was being fitted out as a privateer by a private family, 
and added: " I flatter myself her success, as well as the good fortune 
the other armed vessels constantly meet with, will convince the i-ea- 
sonable and dispassionate that interest as well as duty lay on the side 
of equipments against our Confederate Enemies." 

Some of the Bermuda privateers Avere also captured by the Amer- 
icans. One which was captured and taken to Boston and condemned 
there had 70. negro sailors on board. 

I have not attempted to compile a list of American vessels cap- 
tured by the Bermudian privateers and condemned there, but a con- 
siderable number are recorded. 

After the arrival of Governor Wm. Brown, in 1782, privateering 
was discouraged f He said " the spirit of privateering will draw the 
resentment of the enemy." 

IV. Plans for the Capture of Bermuda by the Americans and 

French. 

Although the various petitions and letters from the Bermudians, 
referred to in the journals of the Continental Congress, have not 
been preserved, the character of the wording of the resoliitionjjs_ 
suflicient to show the strong sympathy between the Bermudians and 
Americans. It is well known that there were many in aiUhority in 
this country who advised the capture of Bermuda. Very likely the 

* Gov. George James Bruere, appointed 1764, died in Aug., 1780. He was 
succeeded by Lt.-Gov. Thos. Jones, Sept., 1780. He was replaced Oct., 1780, by 
Gov. George Bruere. who was replaced by Governor Wm. Brown, Jan. 4, 1782. 

f Governor Brown was a native of Salem, Mass. He was a very able and 
miTch respected citizen, and an eminent jurist. He was, however, a devoted 
loyalist, and was obliged to leave his country and sacrifice his property on that 
account. His letter as to privateering is in " The Lansdowne MSS." vol. 78. 



566 A. E. Verrill — Relations between Bermuda and the [60 

visit of Mr. St. George Tucker to Bermuda, from June, 1775, to 
November, ' 1776, was only in part to secure gunpowder. It may 
have been more particularly to promulgate the revolutionary ideas 
of the American Colonists. 

It is not improbable that he was also instructed to ascertain the 
disposition of the people in regard to the plan for the capture of 
Bermuda, and its practicability, and to enlist their aid and sympathj'- 
in other ways. He came back with a cargo of salt, which was then 
much needed. After he returned to America he joined the Conti- 
nental army. He became a Lieutenant Colonel in 1789, and was 
wounded in the battle of Guilford Court House. He was appointed 
Professor of Law in 1789, and Judge of U. S. District Court in 
1815. (See biographical sketch below.) 

It is certain that Bermuda was at that time very poorly fortified 
and feebly garrisoned. St. George's was the only town and principal 
harbor, for Hamilton was not made the capital till 1812. But the 
o-arrison was greatly inci-eased in 1778 and 1779. G«n. Sir Henry 
Clinton, writing to Lord George Germain, Oct. 8, 1778, stated that 
he had sent 300 men to garrison Bermuda; and in ar later letter, 
Nov. 1779, he says, " I have sent an additional force to Bermuda. 
That place is of the greatest consequence." 

Probably some of the old and more or less ruined forts, built long 
before about St. George's harbor and on Castle Island, etc., were 
repaired and garrisoned at that time.* 

Mr. Silas Deane, a member of Congress, who was sent as a secret 
agent to the Court of France in 1776, stopped, on his way, at Ber- 
muda and there purchased a fast sloop in which he sailed to Bor- 
deaux, arriving June, 1776. In a letter from Bermuda, April, 1776, 
he described the destitute condition and distress of the inhabitants 
and said that a famine was inevitable unless they could live entirely 
— -4ir>Jijh or get food from America.f He also described the harbors 
and channels, and advised the Congress to take possession of the 
islands and fortify them at both ends, and thus make a safe harbor 
for the building and fitting out of vessels to destroy the British 
commerce with the West Indies. In another letter, dated Paris, 
Aug. 18, 177C, he referred to the same subject and said that the 
Eno-lish government intended to fortify the islands during the fol- 



* See The Bermuda Islands, vol. i, pp. 449-463. 

\ See above, p. 51. This letter was apparently the one there referred to, and 
acted upon by Congress. 



61] American Colonies during the Revolutionary War. 5G7 

lowino- winter and spring and that France would take possession of 
tliem "on the first rupture." 

He also stated that the Bermudians had sent a petition to the 
English government declaring the necessity of getting provisions 
from America, and saying that if not permitted to do so, they must 
ask the protection of the Congress.* 

In consequence of Mr. Deane's lettei's and other information, 
Congress immediately ordered two " fast-sailing vessels " to be 
loaded with provisions and sent to Bermuda, June, nTG. The officers 
were instructed to ascertain "the disposition of the people," and 
also whether two armed vessels could be purchased and fitted out 
there. (See above, p. 51.) Their report does not appear to have been 
recorded.! Doubtless it was deemed impracticable to take the 
islands at that time, for the Americans then had no war vessels of 
any importance and could not have held the islands against the 
English fleet, even with the assistance of the French fleet. 

But plans for the capture of Bermuda were not entirely abandoned 
until long afterwards, for references are repeatedly made to it in the 
official letters preserved in the archives, both in Europe and America. 
In the letters of Mr. Hopkins (Brigadier in the French Service) to 
Compte de Vergennes, Sept. 9 and Sept. 14, 17*76, he mentions the 
capture of Bermuda as a part of his plans.J 

In the Treaties of Commerce and Alliance between France and 
America, signed Feb. 6, 1778, it was stipulated that all the West 
Indies, if conquered, should belong to France, but that Bermuda 
should be added to the United States. 

In the letters of Marquis de Lafayette to Compte de Vergennes, 
July 3, and July 18, 1779, and in other letters, he mentions the 
capture of Bermuda for the Americans as a part of his plans. 
Lafayette contemplated a visit to Bermuda, personally, to organize 
a libert}^ party, as stated in a letter to Compte de Vergennes, Feb., 
2, 1780. He said, "Nous p.ouvous en passant toucher a la Bermude 
et y etablir le parti de la liberte." 

* See also New Eng. Historical and Geological Reg., vol. 1, No. 4, Oct., 1896, 
p. 441. 

f All such matters were at that time referred to a Secret Committee of Marine 
and Commerce, and very little is on record as to its doings. 

X See Stevens, Benj. Franklin (editor). Facsimiles of manuscripts in European 
Archives relating to America, 1773-1778, Nov., 1889-Feb., 1898, folio. See 
Abstracts in G. Watson Cole, Bermuda in Periodical Literature, Bulletin of 
Bibliography, iii, Nos. 8, 9, Jan. -Feb., 1904, of these and several other letters 
regarding the capture of Bermuda by the French. 



568 A. JS. Verrill — Relations beticeen Bermuda and the [62 

One of the means of communicating with friendly Bermudians is 
shown in a letter of information communicated by Lieut. -Col. 
Edward Smith, Oct. 22, 1111 : "All American ships falling in with 
Bermuda Islands must stand for the West end, and by their hoisting 
a jack at the maintopmast head, a Mr, Tucker would send off a boat, 
and procuring them, as required, assistance, would give them orders 
or satisfactory information." 

V. Biographical Notes on some of the persons mentioned. 

St. George Tucker.* He was born at Port Royal, Bermuda, July 
10, 1152, and died near Warminster, Va., Nov. 10, 182*7. His parents 
were Henry and Anne (Butterfield) Tucker. He was a descendant 
of George Tucker of Kent, England, who was a prominent member 
of the Warwick party in the Virginia Company of London, and of his 
eldest son, George Tucker, who emigrated to Bermuda among the 
earliest settlers and became a land owner and planter of tobacco 
there. The latter was a nephew of Governor Daniel Tucker (1615- 
1616), famous for his strenuous government of his unruly subjects. f 

St. George Tucker came to Virginia in 1771, to complete his 
education, and graduated at the College of William and Mary in 
1772. He afterwards studied and practiced law. He w^ent to Ber- 
muda, June, 1775, and was admitted to the bar there, July, 1775. 
In Novembei', 1776, he returned to Virginia with a cargo of salt. 
Li 1777 he engaged, with his brother Thomas, in importing gun- 
powder and other munitions of war from the West Indies. He soon 
entered the army. He was Aide-de-camp to General Thos. Nelson in 
1779 ; Major in 1781. He served with General Gi'eene in the south, 
and was wounded in the battle of Guilford Court House, March 15, 
1781. He became Lieut. -Colonel, Sept. 12, 1781, and was sent as 
a delegate with Edward Randolph and James Madison to the 
Annapolis Convention in 1786. It is said that he was the person 
wiib made the report of the famous speech of Patrick Henry. 

After the war he resumed the practice of law, and became a judge 
in 1787. He was appointed Professor of Law in the College of 
William and Mary, 1789-90, and was judge of the IT. S. District 
Court of Virginia, 1813-25. He also held other important offices. 
He wrote a number of important legal works, and had a good liter- 
ary reputation, both as a writer of prose and poetry. 

* The dates here given are mostly from Lamb's Blog. Diet. United States, 
1903, vol. vii, p. 387. Other biographical works give some of them differently. 

t See "The Bermnda Islands," vol. i, pp. 447, 476, 551, 634, 630, 713, 719, 
875. 



63] American Colonies during the Revolutionary War. 569 

His sons and several of his later descendants have also been 
eminent in law and other professions. 

His elder brother, Thomas Tudor Tucker, who was born in Ber- 
muda, 1745, and emigrated to South Carolina, was a surgeon in the 
army, and was a delegate to th» Continental Congress, 1*787-8, and 
representative in the United States Congress subsequently, 1789- 
1793 ; from December, 1801, to his death. May, 1828, 27 years, he 
Avas Treasurer of the United States. 

Capt. George Ord was born in England, May 26, 1741. He 
died Oct. 13, 1806. He came to America when 18 years old. He 
carried on a ship chandler}-, together v^ith a rope-walk in Phila- 
delphia, before the war, and had already acquired considerable 
knowledge of naval affairs in England. These occupations and his 
experience made him useful in the first formation of the Naval 
Board, as shown by letters to him, still preserved, from Thomas 
Wharton, "First President of Council."* 

He was an uncle of George Ord, Esq., a well known naturalist 
of Philadelphia, and for many years an active member of the 
Academ}' of Natural Sciences and American Philosophical Society. 
He was a friend and patron of Wilson, the ornithologist, and edited 
his Ornithology, writing the last volume himself. He was also 
intimate with Audubon, Lesueur, and other notable naturalists of 
that period. It was through him that the papers and relics of Capt. 
Ord were transmitted to his nephew, DeLancey Cleveland, who wrote 
the article on the capture of the gunpowder, referred to above. 

The following is a copy of the commission of Capt. George Ord. 
The original is preserved by Mr. DeLancey Cleveland : 

IN CONGRESS. 

The Delegates of the United States, of New Hampshire, Massachusettes Bay, Bhou.e. 
Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, the Counties of Neiv 
Castle, Kent and Sussex on Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, ly'orth-Carolina, 
South- Carolina, and Georgia. 

To all unto whom these Presents shall come, send Greeting : Know Ye, 

THAT we have granted, and by these Presents do grant Licence and Authoi-- 
ity to George Ord Esq" Mariner, Commander of the Brig* called Retalia- 
tion of the Burthen of 90-Tons, or thereabouts, mounting fourteen Carriage 
Guns, and navigated by 100 Men, to fit out and set forth the said Brig" in a 

*For these particulars I am indebted to Mrs. DeLancey Cleveland, of New 
York. 

Tp' 's. Conn. Acad., Vol. XIII. 5 July, 1007. 



009 563 577 5 

570 A. E. Verrill — Relations between Bermuda^ etc. [64 

warlike Manner, and by and with the said Brigantine and the crew thereof, by 
force of Arms, to attack, seize and take the Ships and other Vessels belonging 
to the Inhabitants of Great-Britain, or any of them, with the Tackle, Apparel, 
Furniture and Ladings, on the High Seas, or between high-water and low-water 
Marks, and to bring the same to some convenient Ports in the said Colonies, in 
Order that the Courts, which are or shall be there appointed to hear and deter- 
mine Causes civil and maritime, may proceed in due Form to condemn the said 
Captm-es, if they be adjudged lawful Prize ; the said George Ord having given 
Bond, with sv^iiicient Sureties, that nothing be done by the said George Ord or 
any of the Officers, Mariners or Company thereof contrary to, or iuconsistant 
with the Usages and Customs of Nations, and the Instructions, a Copy of which 
is herewith delivered to him. And we will and require all our Officers whatso- 
ever to give Succour and Assistance to the said George Ord in the Premises. 
This Commission shall continue in force until the Congress shall issue Orders to 

the Contrary. 

By Order of the Congress. 

JOHN HANCOCK, President 
Dated at Philadelphia 
the 41'' day of Decem'^ 1776. 

That the As-sembl}^ and people of Bermuda were fully justified in 
their quarrels with Gov. Geo. James Bruere is obvious from the facts 
that are recorded in history, showing plainly his tyrannical charac- 
I ter and merciless disposition. Doubtless there were multitudes of 

' other grievances well known to his contemporaries.* It was under 

his regime that the disgraceful and fatal treatment of the American 
prisoners of war took place, and for which he was, no doubt, mainlj'- 
responsible. 

The privateers took large numbers of prisoners. They were 
crowded into the small unsanitary jail at St. George's, till the con- 
ditions became too horrible to relale.f Consequently a malignant 
"jail fever" broke out in the jail, eventually spreading, in 1779-80, 
over all the islands, causing untold suffering and hundreds of deaths, 
""A 'omb, among the natives and prisoners. 

* Debates of i\i^ Assembly were not open to the public till 1784 ; the first 
newspaper. The Bermuda Gazette, was started Jan., 1784," under Gov. Brown. 
+ See " The Bermuda Is.," ed. I, p. 104. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 





009 563 577 5 




pH8^ 



